First Flakes of the Season Could Fly Today, Record Cold Also on Tap

Early Week Pattern Change:

If' we've sounded like a broken record as of late, that's because N. Illinois and S. Wisconsin has seen nothing but thick cloud cover, gusty winds, and highs in the 50s the past few days. But a big change in our weather pattern moves in for the start of the work week. One that features possibly the first SNOWFLAKES of the season as well as a chill that we haven't seen since early-April!

Winter-Like Monday:

In a similar fashion to the past few days, our Monday kicks off with a few peeks of sun, with clouds gathering up quickly by midday. Along with the cloud cover does come a very small chance for precipitation, this time in the form of wet snowflakes. Yes. You heard me correctly. Any flurries that do manage to develop this afternoon will be widely-scattered in nature.

With a tight pressure-gradient still in place over the western Great Lakes, expect winds to remain strong out of the northwest. Temperatures because of this will struggle, with some of our local airports not making it out of the 30s. 

As mentioned previously, the forecast high of 40° would not only be a new record cool high for October 17th, but it would also be the coldest Rockford has been since April 2nd. In other words, prepare for a VERY winter-like day. While a few flurries may linger into the early overnight hours, expect skies to turn partly cloudy, with overnight low temperatures falling into the upper 20s.

Remaining Breezy:

A little more sunshine can be expected throughout the day on Tuesday. However, the additional sun we see tomorrow will bring little relief in the temperature department. With a decent northwesterly breeze still in place, highs will be limited to the mid to upper 40s. Again, wind chills will register in the mid to upper 30s. 40s look to continue into Wednesday before a significant warming trend takes over late in the week.